Based on the series of the same name, this point and click adventure game is a continuation of the series after its cancellation in 2010. For those itching to find out how their favourite investigators and prosecutors fare, it's probably a dream come true, but for others, not so much.
After playing through the first 3 available episodes of the series, it's evident that the game is more targeted towards diehard fans of the series rather than offering a challenge for a true gamer. It simply plays like an interactive movie, with excellent voice acting, great character modelling and lots of cutscenes featuring familiar characters from the show.
Gameplay is limited to quizzing you on how much you've been paying attention during interrogations, and a simple hidden object search of crime scenes. You also shout objections during court proceedings and allocate to a legal reasoning including Hearsay, Argumentative, Asked and Answered, and Badgering, which is covered in a short tutorial. The game basically hand holds you through every step of the way, even though it isn't terribly difficult to begin with.
The first three episodes are quite standard fare, sticking close to the formula of the series: murder, investigation, and then court proceedings. It even featured some slapstick references which had me cringing all the way through. I admit, I haven't sat through an entire episode of Law and Order before which thoroughly affected my enjoyment of the series, but that's not to say the same for those who are.
Each episode took about 30 minutes or less to play through, which was quite short by Telltale standards, but will be made up in the number of episodes that will be released (7 in total). The game features multiple endings which occur depending on what you choose for the plea bargain in every case, but unfortunately you must replay the whole episode again to see what the other ending will be, due to the lack of saving.
The Final Verdict
With near-flawless adventure games under it's belt, such as the Sam and Max series, Tales of Monkey island, and even Back to the Future, it's quite puzzling why the developer Telltale Games has offered us this piece of cake. Perhaps it's a bid to appeal to non-traditional gamers, simply verging into the gaming territory to watch the verdict of their favourite series unfold. It's not bad by any standards, but not good either. We find the defendant, guilty of making this average game.
By Jeann Wong